Cape Coast, Ghana

Scholarship

Education

University of Cape Coast - World Bank Africa Centre of Excellence Scholarship Movemeback African initiative cover image

Details

The Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience (ACECoR) established under the World Bank Africa Centre of Excellence (ACE) for Development Impact Project and hosted by the Centre for Coastal Management, University of Cape Coast, Ghana, invites suitably qualified national, regional and international applicants into its MPhil and PhD degree programmes.

The overarching goal of ACECoR is to support technical capacity development of young African professionals to address issues of coastal degradation, as well as promote the sustainable utilization and management of marine and coastal assets within the sub-region.

ACECoR will carry out education and research programs in collaboration with academic institutions and industries at the national, regional and international levels to ensure a multi- and interdisciplinary approach to addressing coastal degradation across the sub-region.

The specific objectives of ACECoR are to:

  • Enhance capabilities of young African scholars in the thematic areas of Coastal Geomorphology and Engineering, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation, Disaster Risk Management and Migration, Ecosystems and Biodiversity Science and Blue Economy, Governance and Social resilience.
  • Provide demand-driven applied research data and innovation for relevant industries and sectors in above themes.
  • Develop regional data support systems on marine and coastal issues.
  • Create multi-sectoral networks for marine and coastal for integrated approach to resolving coastal degradation in West Africa.
  • Provide career development for faculty through international exchange programme and in- service training

 

Programme Descriptions
 

Master of Philosophy - MPhil
The ACECoR MPhil programmes are designed as intensive modular courses with a research component. Students admitted to the programmes spend a 12-month period of learning on course modules and another 12 months on research. Student research will be conducted under one or more of the five thematic areas of the ACECoR Project.

Doctor of Philosophy - PhD
The ACECoR PhD programmes are designed as 36-month intensive full-time research programmes. Students in the programme spend 24 months on field research and data collection and 12 months for organising and writing their thesis, including attending relevant seminars and conferences to gain critical knowledge and/or present preliminary research results. Student research will be conducted under one or more of the five thematic areas of the ACECoR Project.

The following ACECoR programmes are currently on offer:

  • MPhil | PhD (Integrated Coastal Zone Management)
  • MPhil | PhD (Oceanography and Limnology)
  • MPhil | PhD (Fisheries Science)
  • The following programmes are under development and would be advertised in future
  • MPhil | PhD (Blue Economy)
  • MPhil | PhD (Coastal Engineering)

All ACECoR students are required to conduct their research in one or a combination of the five thematic areas of the Centre. Applicants whose research proposals focus on these areas stand a better chance of being awarded scholarships for their study programme at the University of Cape Coast.

  • Blue Economy, Governance and Social Resilience
  • Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation
  • Coastal Geomorphology and Engineering
  • Disaster Risk Management and Migration
  • Ecosystems and Biodiversity

Criteria

  • Applicants must qualify for admission to master’s and doctorate programmes at the University of Cape Coast. All programmes run at ACECoR are hosted in specific academic departments within UCC and have separate application procedures from the scholarship which is provided by the Centre.
  • For the 2020/21 scholarship application process, applicants are not required to apply to UCC before applying for ACECoR scholarships. However, all successful applicants will have to complete the UCC admission process and be admitted to qualify for the award of scholarship.

Requirements

  • Confirmation page of application to UCC for the selected programme
  • Certified true copies of academic certificates and transcripts
  • Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • Statement of Motivation
  • Two (2) letters of recommendation (at least one from a former lecturer/supervisor)
  • A 2-3 (for MPhil) or 3-5 (for PhD) page research proposal in the preferred area of research

Description of Criteria

  • Comportment and expression: This includes the outlook of the candidate (whether he/she appears prepared for a formal interview in terms of outfit, hair keeping, etc.), gestures and mannerism, loudness, articulation, confidence, fluency, etc.
  • General Knowledge: Knowledge of candidate in basic science, fundamentals of social science (where applicable), current issues around the world in the subject (i.e. coastal, environmental, fisheries, oceanographic issues), including political, legislative, legal, social, etc. constitutes the questions for this section.
  • Knowledge of subject area: This section is for the test of knowledge of the candidate in the programme he/she has applied to study. It covers knowledge of principles, theories, mechanisms, philosophies, processes, models and other technicalities in the subject area(s) of the programme.
  • Application of Knowledge: This section is intended to assess how the candidate can demonstrate application or utilisation of the knowledge in Section 3 (i.e. theories, mechanisms, processes, models, etc.) in industry, management, conservation, etc.
  • Proposed Research: Questions for assessment of the proposed research by the candidate should cover usefulness and feasibility of the research in addressing contemporary challenges within the field, soundness and achievability of objectives, candidate’s knowledge in research methods, appropriateness of proposed methods for the research, data analyses tools, etc.
  • Knowledge of statistics: This section tests the knowledge of candidate in statistics (descriptive and inferential), and how statistics will be applied in his/her proposed research.
  • ACECoR Project: Questions on this section should focus on the knowledge of candidate on ACECoR (the source of funds, objectives of the project, implementing partners/institutions, duration, etc.).

 

Benefits

The overarching goal of ACECoR is to support technical capacity development of young African professionals to address issues of coastal degradation, as well as promote the sustainable utilization and management of marine and coastal assets within the sub-region.

About University of Cape Coast

University of Cape Coast is an equal opportunity university, uniquely placed to provide quality education through the provision of comprehensive, liberal and professional programmes that challenge learners to be creative, innovative and morally responsible citizens. Through distance learning, it also extends expertise and facilities to train professionals for the education enterprise and business by employing modern technologies. The University constantly seeks alternative ways to respond to challenging needs.